Certain vehicles, especially pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, have passenger compartments that are situated relatively high off the ground. The prior art includes running boards, tubular bars, etc., that provide a stepping surface between the ground and the passenger compartment to facilitate access to the passenger compartment. Prior art steps have a fixed length, and do not extend significantly forward or rearward of a vehicle's side doors.
Prior art vehicle steps thus facilitate entry into a passenger compartment. However, vehicle users often must access other parts of the vehicle that are located high off the ground and may therefore be difficult to reach. For example, a vehicle user may have difficulty cleaning the windshield, reaching into the engine compartment, reaching into a pickup truck cargo box, or placing cargo on the roof of certain vehicles.
Some prior art running boards are movable to a stowed position in which the running board is moved inboard or upward with respect to the vehicle body to reduce the overall width of the vehicle or to increase ground clearance.